Coming out of the FIBA World Cup break, one of the things the Los Angeles Sparks were looking forward to was seeing their new players in action. Prior to the break, the team added three players to the roster, and two of them, Aaliyah Nye and Shyanne Sellers, made their Sparks’ debut during the their loss to the Dallas Wings on Thursday.

Aaliyah Nye was claimed off waivers by the Sparks following her release by the Atlanta Dream, and although the team turned in a disappointing second half en route to a 97-77 loss, it was a solid debut for the former Alabama star. She finished with six points and knocked down her first two 3-point attempts, going 2-of-4 overall. She also added three rebounds and one assist in a season-high 14 minutes.

And it was a comforting message from Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts that helped fuel Nye’s confident debut.

“It felt good to actually play. I told myself just go out there and be confident. Coach gave me some encouraging words before the game started, to just go out there and shoot it,” Nye said during her postgame press conference. “So that’s what I tried to do. I’m just gonna give my all these last four games and try to help the this team win in whatever way I can.”

This season has been anything but stable for Nye. She was selected by the Toronto Tempo in the expansion draft but was cut before the start of the season. The Atlanta Dream claimed her off waivers, then cut her right before the FIBA break. The Sparks then claimed her and released Kate Martin to make room on the active roster.

Nye rarely saw playing time with the Dream, reaching over five minutes only twice in her 19 games played. Coincidently, her previous season high came against the Sparks on Aug. 20 when she suited up in a little over 12 minutes. In addition to her pregame prep from Roberts, Nye has also found a comforting voice in Sparks star Nneka Ogwumike who is retiring at the end of the season, to help ease her transition.

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“I’ve learned a lot from Nneka. She’s a great leader, she’s always coaching us in practice,” Nye said. “One special memory I feel like I have with her is on draft night, draft day I was working out in the morning and I actually saw Nneka in the gym. It was my first time meeting her and I told her I was there for the draft and she gave me some encouraging words.

“That’s something that I remember forever and I appreciate her for just introducing herself and coming to talk to me that day.”

The Sparks have three games remaining on their schedule with two home games against the Portland Fire and Golden State Valkyries and one on the road against the Las Vegas Aces. To finish out the season, the plan remains the same, to get the younger players like Nye, game action while also looking to compete and win.

“It’s a balancing act. And I think, as I’ve said, I don’t know how to coach not to win. And so every time we go out there I want to coach to win, compete to win and game plan to win,’’ Roberts said during her pregame press conference. “We do need to get some of our younger guys out there, but I think you can do both. I think two things can be true. You can coach to win, play to win and also play some of your younger guys and give them some experience and see what you got.”